Second Chances, Double Agents
by FiTeamFreeWill
Summary: My first fic. Ward approaches Skye and begs her to accompany him on his quest for closure. She intends to be a double agent and betray him like he did her, but will she end up in love with him again? Set after season 2 finale. Mostly SkyeWard fluff(ish), and maybe a little Skye x Lincoln.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own S.H.I.E..L.D...sigh. If I did, then this wouldn't be just a fic. Enjoy!

Chapter One:

Things had finally started to cool off at the base. After weeks of turmoil, there was peace at last. Skye was just starting to accept the fact that she would never see her parents again, that she was going to have no one to help her with her powers (except for Lincoln), when, of course, Grant Ward reappeared in her life.

She was in her "room" (really, it was more of a large closet). It was about two a.m., and she couldn't sleep, so she was pacing the length of the carpet when there was a tap on the window. She glanced out and didn't see anything. _I'm going even crazier than I thought I was,_ she thought uneasily. A few minutes later, the tap came again, louder. Curious, she strolled over to the window, opened it, and peered outside. Suddenly a hand grabbed hers and a voice hissed, "Skye! Get out here!" She jerked back in surprise. Skye stood there for a moment, debating whether or not she should. Of course, the rational choice would be to ignore it and return to her task. Her training warned her that it wasn't safe. Eventually, however, curiosity won out. She clambered out the window and turned to face the mysterious man who had beckoned her.

Ward's POV:

 _I still can't believe I'm doing this, that I'm here. This is crazy! What am I doing?_ Ward thought frantically. He was currently outside Skye's window, and, unsurprisingly, it ached to be so close to Skye, yet unable to touch her, to embrace her, to kiss her. It hurt more than when he killed Kara. Much, much more. Even though he knew that this mission was probably destined to fail, and she probably wouldn't come with him, but he had to try. Everything would be so much more worth it with her by his side. Gathering his courage, he reached up and rapped on the window...

Back to Skye's POV:

"Skye," the voice said again. "I'm over here, in the bush!" Up close, the voice sounded oddly familiar. Almost as if an old friend was calling her... She made her way over to the bushes, where a figure crouched. Again, the figure looked really familiar. As she neared him, she understood why. The man was Grant Ward.

"W-Grant! What the he-what are you doing outside my window?!" Skye asked, dumbstruck. He looked almost exactly the same as when she last saw him, with close-cropped hair, a clean-shaven beard, and a face covered in cuts and bruises. That adorable little scar above his upper lip was still there, and so was the burn mark on the side of his neck. He smelled like the odd mixture of sweat and cologne, like he always did. God, she hadn't realized how much she missed him. It was growing more and more difficult by the second to restrain herself from grabbing his face and kissing him all over. But, as much as she wanted to forget, he was still a traitorous killer that could NOT be trusted, under any circumstance.

"Skye, I'm here to talk to you about something important," he replied calmly. Or, calmly-ish. He was trying to act cool and collected, but there was a frantic light in his eyes. She could tell that this was important to him.

"WHAT? You're coming to my room in in the middle of the freaking night, to talk to me about "something important"?! What is wrong with you? I should turn march you down to Coulson's office right now and have your sorry behind back to jail before you even know what happened! You have NO RIGHT to be here! How dare you?!" Skye nearly screamed at him.

It was true; he had absolutely no right to be there. It was completely ludicrous that he should show up now, when things were so hard for her. Didn't he know what she was going through? Her parents just died (well, her mother did, but her father didn't remember her, which was almost the same thing), she was an Inhuman freak, and one of her best friends shunned her because she thought she was a freak. Skye didn't need this, not right now.

"Skye," he said calmly. "You won't turn me in. I know you."

"Hmmph. You don't know me as well as you'd like to think."

"Yes, I do. I know you more than you think I do. I knew your parents before you had any idea they even existed. I know that even though you pretend otherwise, you are terrified of what you can do. And, I know that there is no way you are walking away from this. You're far too curious and nosy to never hear what I have to say. You also won't turn me in because you're afraid of what Coulson, and more importantly, May will do to me if they know I'm here," he told her. Grr...she hated it when he was right, especially when he was right about her. She didn't move to deny him, but growled a short "Fine, tell me."

"I'm here to ask you to come with me when I take the Bus."

"Take the Bus?! Well, first of all, it was shot out of the sky and completely destroyed, and second of all, even if you try to take a quinn jet, you'll never get away with it! I won't tell, but someone's going to find you and you're going to end up right back where you started: IN JAIL. This is completely crazy! And you want ME to come with you and become a wanted fugitive? To betray everyone here? To loose their trust and love, like you did?!" Skye asked, furious and incredulous.

How dare he? How dare he even suggest this? She was steaming, but another part of her wanted him to elaborate on his plan. It could be an adventure! True, an adventure with the most hated man in S.H.I.E.L.D, but an adventure nevertheless. She was caught in an internal debate: should she betray everyone and go with him, or should she turn down an excuse to get away from people who thought she was a dangerous monster, and walk away from someone who would accept her for who she was?

"Please, Skye. Please. Everything will be so much more worth it if you're by my side. I will do anything you want," he begged her. "I love you. I always have and I probably always-"

"Kara," she said in a deadly serious voice.

"What? What about her?"

"Exactly. What happened to her? I thought she was the love of your life. Seriously, did you just ditch her or something? Because that's really a jerk move. Who does that? I mean, what happened to the whole, "Baby, I love you so much, I'll be with you forever!" bull-crap?"

"She died. I shot her while she was wearing May's face, and she suffocated when her lungs filled with blood," he said sadly.

"Oh. I get it. Your hot new toy broke, so you're crawling back to the tattered...old stuffed...animal thing for comfort! That isn't fair to me!" she yelled at him.

"What? No! No, that's not how it is at all! I never truly loved her, Skye. I was using her to get over you! Obviously it didn't work, because I'm still as much in love with you as I was before, if not more. That's why I need you to come with me. So, what do you say?" he sounded absolutely miserable as he said it. It made Skye want to reach out to him, to comfort him.

She wanted to go with him so badly, but how could she betray the only people who had ever cared about her? Wait...what if there was a way she could do both? A plan was beginning to form in her mind. "Grant, I need a few days to think about it...is there a way I can contact you with my answer?" she asked somewhat innocently.

"Yes. Yes, take all the time you need. If you decide to go with me, then just call this number and leave a message telling me where to meet up. Also include something that only you would know, Skye. I hope you make the right choice! I can't wait to see you again," he said warmly. "I have to go. Oh, and if you try to talk to anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. about any of this, I will know." And with that, he stood up and walked away, leaving her to face a near impossible decision.

"Goodbye, Grant," Skye replied softly, after he was out of earshot. She shook her head. There wasn't time right now to worry about her feelings. For now, it was time to take action. He had inadvertently left her with the perfect loophole: he had said that she couldn't go to anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. about their conversation. But what he hadn't realized is that there was someone on the base who wasn't a part of S.H.I.E.L.D. Skye climbed back through the window and went to go explain her plan to the one person she could talk to: Lincoln.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Skye quickly trotted down the hall, trying not to wake anyone. She came to the door that she knew was Lincoln's. For some reason, she hesitated before knocking. Was it really fair of her to bother him with this? Lincoln had never met Ward; he wouldn't have any idea what this meant to her, or what it might mean to any of her teammates. Maybe he would just turn her down, or worse, mock her. Why wouldn't he? There wasn't any reason for him to go along with her plan. No matter, she was here now, and she had to get it over with before her confidence was shaken. Lincoln had to understand. He was the only one she could go to without endangering herself and her teammates. Steeling herself, she reached up and knocked on the door.

"Lincoln? Can you come out here? It's Skye," she called through the door. "I need a word with you!" A few moments later he stumbled through the doorway, looking adorably rumpled and groggy.

"Uhh...Skye? What are you doing here? You do know its three A.M, right? It's too late for any sort of chit-chat, so this better be good..." he warned her.

"Oh, trust me, it is." She then spent the next ten minutes or so explaining her conversation with Ward, the decision she was faced with, and her plan of action. He stood there, taken aback by what she was asking him to do.

"You-you want me to what? Skye, I'm not sure if that's even possible. I mean, to create an electric charge that powerful..." he said uncertainly.

"Yes, yes, I know. But, it's you! You're on the most powerful Inhumans I've met! I know that you can super-charge these rings enough so that the wearers can communicate telepathically. I remember Simmons talking about it once, and if she says it's possible than it must be. Please, Lincoln. I need you to try," Skye pleaded with him.

"Alright, fine." Concentrating, he grasped both rings, one in each hand. An electric whine filled the air. Suddenly, a blinding white light filled the room. "There,: he said when it died down. "Try them. Only you and I will be able to communicate with them, so your the team will just have to trust me to rely the truth. Can they?"

"Yes, so long as you tell May this: when I get back, I'm ready for those hate-fu classes," she said with a small smile. "I told him that I needed time to mull over my decision, so I'll have to wait until at least Tuesday. Two days should be plenty of time to prepare. I don't think I'll need anything other than a change of clothes...do you?"

"Well, a journal or something might be kinda nice...just to get some feelings down. It's very relaxing, and it can actually help you control yourself and your powers when you are feeling strong emotions. Plus, it's kinda fun," he told her earnestly. She smirked.

"Okay...I'll try it! Why not? Anyways I'm going to try to get some sleep , then hit the gym for a few hours. Want to join me?" she asked innocently.

"Oh, um. Gyms aren't really my thing. I don't like to use all those fancy machines. They throw my powers off, and they're usually too complicated for me to figure out anyways," he said.

"Well, then how about some good old fashioned hand-to-hand combat? Or are you too worried that you'll get taken down by a girl?" she teased.

"What? No way! Sure, just meet me there at say...seven?" he asked.

"Sure! Seven works for me. See you then!" she called over her shoulder as she trotted back down the hall. It was already four...but three hours was plenty of sleep, right? Besides, she couldn't postpone a chance for a little friendly competition with a cute guy!

A few hours later she stood in the gym, throwing some practice punches at the punching bag. Just then, Lincoln walked in and threw his arms wide. "So? You ready to be taken down?" he mercilessly teased. Sticking her tongue out at him, she led him onto the mats. After a few practice rounds, Skye realized that whatever training he had, it was good. They were evenly matched, but she still managed to take him down, best two out of three. When they were finished, she was exhausted.

"That was fun! Want to get some food?" she asked between pants. Food sounded really good right then. Food and rest.

"Uh, maybe not. Food sounds great, but you slept for less than five hours, and you just exercised for about another hour. You need to get some rest. Now. C'mon, I'll help you back to bed," he said and held her shoulders tenderly as he led her back to her room.

"Yeah, yeah okay. I need all the rest I can get if I'm going to follow Ward wherever it is he's going," she replied tiredly. It was true; she needed rest desperately, and she also needed time to prepare everything she needed to get going. It was about time she called Ward, so when she got back to her room, that's exactly what she did.

The phone rang about twelve times before it went to voicemail. "Ward? It's me, Skye. Um, I though about what you said, and I-I'll do it. I'll go with you. Meet me at the town square, tomorrow at noon. I'll be ready to go, on one condition: _nothing_ is kept from me. I get to know everything that goes on, everywhere we're going. I'll see you there. Bye." And with that, she snapped the phone shut and went to bed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

She anxiously waited for him outside the cafe. She looked at her watch for what had to be the fifth time in the same minute. Skye had arrived about two hours early, to eat and shop for a bit. Even shopping on a S.H.I.E.L.D credit card for a while hadn't calmed her jittery nerves, although she did gain about a month's worth of outfits.

Just then, a black sedan pulled up next to her. The door swung open, and a man's voice told her, "Get in. We're pressed for time." Nervously, she climbed into the passenger seat, and the sedan pealed away. That morning she had made the final preparations with Lincoln. He knew what to say to May, and he knew when to expect updates. Now all that was left was to actually get on the plane. She turned to the driver, who was none other than Grant Ward. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"To the plane, for now. You'll find out where we go from there in due time. Right now, just sit back and relax. You look like you're about to burst with tension!" he joked. In reality, that's exactly how she felt. In an attempt to follow his advice, she gave him a small smile, reclined the seat, and slept til they reached the plane.

Lincoln's POV:

He missed Skye already, and it hadn't even been three hours. He really felt like they had connected yesterday, when they fought. Sure, they had thrown punches and kicks, but they had fun. Now that she was gone, he just worried. She was still a "rookie," if you will, with her powers. She certainly wasn't ready to be using them in the field, so he hoped that she wouldn't overdo it. Remembering that he was supposed to talk to Agent May, he went down the hall to her bunk. Before he could knock, the door flew open.

"Have you seen Skye?" she asked worriedly. "I haven't seen her since yesterday. She was supposed to train with me this morning, but she never showed."

"Actually, that's what I'm here about. Skye...left." he told her uncomfortably. He explained her plan and how he was supposed to report back to her. "She told me to tell you not to go after her, because she quote on quote, "got this." And I think she's right. We shouldn't go after her."

"May looked at him suspiciously. "How do I know I can trust what you say?"

"Oh! Yeah, Skye told me to tell you that to prove that all this is real, she's ready to take your "hate-fu" classes when she gets back. Whatever that means," he said. May gave a small smile. She nodded at him.

"Alright. Now, where is she?"

Back to Skye's POV:

When they got there, she sent a message to Lincoln: _We just arrived at the plane...I'll let you know where we are headed when I find out. Did you get May on board?_

A moment later, the reply came: _Yeah, she's in. I'll give her the update. Also, you aren't quite ready to use your powers for a long amount of time, so take it easy, okay? I don't want you over-exerting yourself._

 _Aww, that's sweet. Don't worry, I'll take good care of myself. I brought the journal, like you said, so I can use that when I feel "over-exerted." I'm getting settled in as we speak. It's not the same as the bus, but it is pretty cushy. I think I'll be able to get him to give me everything he has planned...I hadn't really thought past that...ask May, she'll know what to do. Anyways, I need to go. If I'm spacing out any longer, he will get suspicious. I'll let you know where we're headed soon. Tell May and the others I'm fine. Bye!_

 _Alright, I will. I'll talk to you soon. Bye._ He almost added a "miss you!" but he figured it was too much. She had too much on her plate right now for him to be professing his love (or whatever it is he felt for her), or even hinting at it. It just wasn't fair to her.

She wandered around the plane for awhile, making sure she knew where all the possible exits are. If Ward had taught her anything when he was her S.O, it was to always know where possible escape/attack routes are in a dangerous situation. She was correct in her previous assumption; it was very cushy there. There was a fully stocked bar (in comparison to the one on the bus, it had food, too), a state-of-the-art entertainment system over 1,000 channels, and a master bedroom with both of those things, plus a huge bathroom with a fancy jacuzzi. She would have to talk to Ward about that room being hers. If she was going to be here, she might as well be comfortable. Oh. Her name was already on a little door hanger, as well as the word "reserved." Plopping her stuff down, she headed into the cockpit to find Ward.

"Hey," she said with a cheery smile. "Where are we headed?"

"Later," he said, smiling back. "For now, take some relaxing time. Maybe try taking a bath in that hot tub? Drink some tea, or better yet, alcohol. You look like you need it," he joked. "Seriously, go. Enjoy yourself while I get us up in the air!"

"Alright, alright. But once we're up in the air, I expect to know exactly where we are headed." He said nothing. Sighing to herself, she walked back to her room to take his advice. About an hour later, they still hadn't arrived at their destination. She speed-walked to the cockpit and sat down in the co-pilot's seat.

"So? You ready to tell me where we are going?" she asked in a falsely cheerful voice.

"Why can't you just leave well enough alone? I'm taking us somewhere where I can get what I need. Besides, there's no way you can force me to tell you," he told her frankly.

"Hmm...Yeah, I guess you're right. Oh, wait! There is one thing I can do to make you tell me where we are going," she replied sarcastically.

"Oh, and what would that be?" he asked.

"Well...I could drop you and this plane out of the sky!" she said smugly.

"You wouldn't dare. You aren't gutsy enough to put your own life at risk like that."

"Oh, really?" she asked as she made the plane drop a few hundred feet.

"Aargh! Jesus, okay! We're going to Hong Kong! Just, don't ever do that again. I'll tell you everything, I promise," he said frantically.

"You see? You have no idea what I'm capable of. Thanks for telling me, though," she said sincerely. "It was really funny to watch you freak out!" Skye giggled. "I'm sorry, though. It was kind of mean..."

"It's fine. I should've been honest with you," he replied. She looked at him for a moment, then leaned in and kissed him. He looked at her, surprised.

"I missed you," she murmured against his lips. "I missed this." And it was true, she did. She desperately missed what they used to have. Before she found out he was HYDRA, it was perfect. Completely perfect, with the kisses, the hand-holding, all of it. She wanted it back, badly. But, there was no way it could come back, not unless she invented a time machine...

After they broke apart, she excused herself to go tell Lincoln where they were headed. During their conversation, he mentioned that May had decided to go undercover at each location, gathering intel. Once they had gathered enough, S.H.I.E.L.D would attack. Pretty straight-forward, but Skye was wondering if it really was, for her. She had to pretend that everything was fine, that she was betraying her people by choice. Could she really pull it off?


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, guys! This update is not as great as my other ones but I had to get the ball rolling. That weird nightmare thing may or may not be elaborated upon. This will be my last update to this for a while as I will be visiting with some family for a bit. Let me know what you think in your reviews! Also I'm trying something new...tell me how you want this to go in your reviews and I will try to cooperate! You decide how the story goes from here!**

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She laid in her bed, trying to sort out her feelings. She was sure she felt a spark for Lincoln, and she felt as if he had felt it too. Ward had caused her all this grief, and Lincoln seemed to be someone who could relieve her of that grief. Ward couldn't have picked a worse time to profess undying love. It was incredibly hard, she found, to act as if everything was fine and dandy when it was most certainly not. That was the spy business, she supposed. It was just a mission, one she had taken on herself, and she had a cover to keep up. She needed to be the loving, supportive, slightly blind and doting lover of a murderer. As much as she hated it, it was almost nice. It reminded her of the pre-HYDRA days when they could laugh and play games and drink together. Deciding she had been lazy long enough, she rolled herself out of bed and stumbled down to the kitchenette. Even though it really wasn't that early, she still felt as if it was six in the morning. Thankfully, Grant had left her some hot coffee (black, the way she liked it) so she didn't have to waste energy doing it herself. Just then, he strode into the kitchen..

"Hey, lazy! How'd you sleep?" he asked as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Alright, I guess. I kept having these really weird...not dreams, exactly. More like these flashes of images of really random things...I didn't really know what to make of them. How long have you been up?"

"Since five-thirty. That's my usual wake-up time. What kind of images?" he asked, concerned.

"Oh, random stuff. The team, people, animals. Not really sure what it means," she said quickly. She wasn't going to tell him that what he really saw was grisly images of herself going mad and killing everyone she holds dear. It was probably nothing, but what her subconscious had showed her terrified her. She took a slow sip of her coffee, savoring the caffeinated goodness. Sighing, she turned away and strode down the hall to get ready.

Lincoln's POV:

He listened as May described what she had planned to Coulson. After a few argued words, it became clear that May had won. She turned to him and rattled off his instructions. He was to accompany May to Hong Kong, where they were to apprehend whoever it was that Ward was after. She had told him that he would be staying behind, but he badgered her day and night till she gave in. He couldn't miss this operation, especially not when Skye's safety was involved. When he first met her he was intrigued, and as time passed that intrigue developed into a school-boy crush. Now, he realized he definitely had a thing for her. So, he would do whatever it took to win her over, even if it meant putting himself in jeopardy.

They arrived at Hong Kong roughly an hour before Skye's given ETA. She had told him that Ward was after a man named Dillan Striker, a billionaire mathematician with rather excellent surveillance skills. Ward still hadn't informed her on why he was going after certain targets, but that was one thing she would have to wait for. Skye had also warned him not to contact her once they arrived in Hong Kong, as she couldn't risk reacting badly to any news he might deliver. He was now sitting at a cafe keeping a watchful eye on the streets for Striker and/or Skye and Ward. Suddenly, he saw Striker walk briskly by, glancing furtively over his shoulder as he walked down the street. "I've got Striker in my sights. He's heading down 4th Street now. He looks as if he's being chased by someone...do you want me to engage?" Lincoln asked.

"No, I'm tailing him now. I should be in your sights soon. Do not take any action unless ordered by me or Director Coulson." Came the sharp reply.

"Not a chance, May. If I see that something is going south, I will take action. I'll stay put for now, but otherwise no promises," he warned before cutting off the comms. He watched as their target noticed May and started running. May said something into her comm and ran after him, both disappearing into a side ally. He stood up abruptly, leaving a ten dollar bill on the table as he strode out the diner. As soon as he was out the door, he did a full sprint into the side ally, where the man was hoisting May up by her throat as she kicked and struggled. He ran forward and sent a series of painful shocks (careful not to hurt May) that were powerful enough to knock a normal human out for days. Striker simply shrugged off the shocks and (thankfully) dropped a gasping May. _He's Inhuman...but how? How did he get through the mist if the City was flooded by S.H.I.E.L.D. and Jiaying didn't help him?_ He thought. Striker threw a punch at him, and he blocked it. _Woah. His powers must be super strength for him to be that strong, but I've never seen any Inhuman with this kind of force. What IS he?_


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Super super sorry for the delay between chapters..been working on other fics! I hope you like this chapter; it might be the last one. Maybe not. Please read and review! Enjoy!**

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 **Three months later**

Despite their best efforts, Ward still managed to put together a little team of "Inhumans." From what Lincoln could tell, the people had powers, much like Inhumans, but they were freakishly strong, and didn't seem to be affected by anything anyone at Afterlife was. They managed to take out Striker, as well as three others, but Ward and Skye managed to get to six of their targets before them. They had held back on a few, per Skye's instructions, but the others were just luck. Now, Ward had a small hit team to take on S.H.I.E.L.D. He had to admit, he was worried about Skye. Was she hurt? Worse? Or had she forgotten him, in favor of Ward? He dearly hoped that was not the case.

"Hey! What's up, Stitch?" Skye asked the only other girl on the plane cheerfully. Over the past few months, Ward had made their objective clear: they were to gather a team of scientifically modified superhumans, and once they were ready, attack S.H.I.E.L.D. They had just picked up the last person, a 17-year-old kid whose "super power" was the ability to fly. Ward's original plan included only men, but she managed to persuade him to pick up a young rich girl named Stitch, whose parents used experimental drugs on her. Those drugs had given her odd telekinetic powers that she had no control over. They had picked her up on the side of the road, where she had been trying to hitchhike away from her parents. Skye was now a sort of role model for the girl, teaching her how to control her powers and fight with them. Now she was meeting Stitch in the training room to work on hand-to-hand combat.

Stitch looked up from the table, where she was focusing on solving a puzzle. "Oh, hey, Skye! I got here a little early to practice, and I used my powers to unlock it...wait, is that okay?" she asked worriedly. Skye laughed and shook her head. She loved how eager to please this girl was.

"No, it's fine. Don't worry about it. Now, let's begin the lesson!" They began to circle around each other, Skye showing the younger girl some of the moves that she was taught by Ward. In these past few days, working with her and the other people on board, she had almost forgotten what she was really here for. It didn't hurt that Ward was being a bit more...intimate, shall we say, towards her lately. After a few hours, she realized she hadn't checked in with Lincoln. She left Stitch to practice alone for a few hours and locked herself in her room.

 _Hey! Um, Lincoln? You there?_ She broadcasted. There was no reply. _Hello?_

 _Oh! Hey, Skye. Sorry, I'm still not used to hearing strange voices in my head...Anyways, what's the news?_

 _Well, we picked up a girl about a week ago. Her name's Stitch. She was experimented on by her parents when she was younger. She was the last one, though. I think Ward's planning to strike soon; have you been training the Inhumans you joined with?_

 _Yeah, some of them are turning out to be really great fighters. When Ward decides to attack, we'll be ready, trust me._

 _Great! Alright, I guess I'll see you guys soon. Hey, could you do me one favor?_

 _Sure, I guess. What?_

 _The new girl, Stitch. Can you tell everyone to leave her alone? Maybe take her to Afterlife once things start to heat up. I just...I don't want her to be hurt. It's not like she has any reason to be here, other than escape. So make sure she's safe, okay?_

 _Okay. Yeah, I can do that. I can even be her trainer at Afterlife if you want...I should go. Check in with me more often, alright? We're starved for information over here._ She smiled.

 _Okay. I'll see you soon. Bye._ She disconnected it, sighing. She really did miss him, and the rest of the team, even if she did forget sometimes. Skye turned down the hall, intending to head to the cockpit. Instead, she nearly knocked over Ward, who was coming down the hallway in a hurry.

Skye felt her stomach flutter, heat rising to her cheeks. Even after all the horrible things he's done, it was hard not to fall for him again. Secretly she wondered if she would have the guts to pull the trigger on him, if the time came. She hoped so, because if not, it could mean the end of her career at S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I have the base in my sights. Get ready," came Ward's terse voice over the intercom. Stitch, who was practicing her offense, found herself being pulled into the bathroom by Skye, who locked it behind them.

"Wha-?" Stitch started, but was cut off by Skye's hand covering her mouth, shushing her.

"I will take this off of you if you promise me not to make a sound," she whispered urgently. Stitch nodded, eyes huge. Skye took her hand off her mouth, and Stitch stayed silent.

"Okay. Listen, do you trust me?" Skye implored.

"Uh, duh! You pulled me out of that putrid hell-hole of a life. You seem like a pretty trust-worthy person," Stitch replied seriously.

"Okay," she repeated, as if reassuring herself. She ran her hands through her hair, blowing air through her mouth uneasily. "I am going to tell you something that you must swear to never tell another soul."

"I swear it," Stitch whispered immediately.

Skye looked briefly surprised at her eagerness, then continued. She gave a long, drawn-out description of her history with Ward, right up to her plan with Lincoln.

"So...you're going to tell me to meet up with Lincoln and stay out of the way, huh?" Stitch asked sullenly once she had finished. Skye nodded, looking apologetic.

"It's for the best. We don't you getting to banged up before you begin your training, do we?" she told her, smiling.

"My training? Wait, are you asking me to join S.H.I.E.L.D? No frickin' way!" Stitch said excitedly.

"Now, we should get back, otherwise everyone else is going to wonder where we are," Skye said, unlocking the door.

"Just one more thing, Skye," Stitch said hesitantly. "Do you love him?"

"What? No, of course not. It's just a job, that's all," Skye said unconvincingly, striding out the door. And that's what she kept telling herself as she strapped herself in. _You are NOT falling in love with him again. It's just a job. Just a job._


End file.
